Huge thanks to my August sponsor; details pending.
“Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 321 people in northern Pakistan in the past 48 hours, officials said on Saturday.
“The majority of deaths, 307, were reported in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said.”
“Kishtwar cloudburst: Over 1,000 people were at spot, death toll very high, says BJP MLA [Jammu & Kashmir, India].
“At least 45 people, including two CISF jawans, have been confirmed dead after a massive cloudburst hit Kishtwar area in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the incident near the Machail Mata Shrine in Kishtwar “could result in substantial casualties…””
“Is climate change turning India’s Himalayas into a disaster zone?
“Back-to-back natural disasters triggered by heavy rain and flooding in the Indian Himalayan region have highlighted the growing dangers posed by climate change to one of the world’s most ecologically sensitive regions, experts have warned.”
“Landslide In Mumbai Kills 2, Extreme Heavy Rainfall Likely Today…
“Two people died and two others were injured after a landslide struck a house in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area on Saturday amid heavy rainfall… The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert for extremely heavy rainfall for Mumbai and Raigad today.”
“Eastern China is under a terrible heat wave with hot and humid days and nights.
“Records keep falling here and there: Yesterday 37.1C [98.8F] at Dongshan: August highest temperature on record.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1955922597066985892
“In cramped, sweaty Hong Kong, climate change is making things worse for the poorest…
“In recent months, Hong Kong has been hit with relentless heat warnings. Yet tens of thousands of residents remain sardined into homes smaller than a parking space, where staying cool is a luxury few can afford as the climate warms.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/15/asia/hong-kong-cage-homes-climate-intl-hnk-dst
“A hailstorm that blanketed a northern New South Wales city in ice was an unusual occurrence for winter, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
“Grafton looked more like it had been dusted in snow than hail after the storm hit late on Wednesday and left a swathe of damage… “It felt like a summer storm in winter. It was like a mixing of the seasons,” Mr Murphy said.”
“OCEANIA RECORD HEAT. Unusual warmth continues all over Oceania from Polynesia to New Caledonia etc.
“Record of high Minimums for August set the past days include: 28.4 [83.1F] Nanumea TUVALU and 22.5 Ile Mare NEW CALEDONIA. Several marine heat waves are present in the Pacific.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1956533896478069195
“The Amazon has lost an area larger than Spain in 40 years, report shows…
“Nationwide, the loss over the past four decades amounts to 111.7 million hectares—more than three times the size of Germany—a report by the initiative MapBiomas shows. The network consists of universities, non-governmental organizations and technology companies and examines primarily satellite images.”
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-amazon-lost-area-larger-spain.html
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN HONDURAS – 41.3C [106.3F] Choluteca HOTTEST AUGUST DAY IN HONDURAS HISTORY.
“The current heat wave in Honduras plains is arguably the most anomalous heat wave in all tropical history with record heat constantly for months every single day like it was the dry season.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1956147213253665166
“Big Tech’s big thirst — AI’s demand for Texas water.
“Texas is seeing massive growth with AI data centers. There has been attention on their incredible energy demands; however, little attention has been paid to their equally incredible water consumption. But it’s becoming clear that if left unchecked, AI water use could impact the availability of water in drought-stricken Texas.”
https://www.tpr.org/environment/2025-08-15/big-techs-big-thirst-ais-demand-for-texas-water
“In Texas cattle country, ranchers brace for flesh-eating screwworms.
“From 1972 to 1976, a screwworm outbreak in the United States infested tens of thousands of cattle across six states, cost tens of millions of dollars to contain, and was only defeated after a massive eradication effort. Today, the parasitic flies are pushing northward from Central America again…”
“As a mountain crumbled Sunday, Alaska experienced its largest landslide-caused tsunami in a decade.
“Calvey and her two friends — on a summer-long paddling trip from Washington state to Glacier Bay in Alaska — watched in disbelief as the ocean crept up the shoreline more than 15 feet, carrying away many of their possessions.”
“Arctic glaciers face ‘terminal’ decline as microbes accelerate ice melt…
““It felt really scary … like being in the middle of a burning city during a night raid.” Dr Arwyn Edwards is not describing urban warfare but a recent hot and foggy day on a Svalbard glacier, where record-breaking summer heat turned his workplace into a cascade of meltwater and falling rocks.”
“Greenland’s Melting Ice Is Supercharging Life in the Sea…
“NASA-supported researchers found that glacial runoff near Jakobshavn Glacier lifts nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface, fueling summer phytoplankton blooms by up to 40%… Melt on the Greenland ice sheet is projected to accelerate in coming decades, affecting everything from sea level and land vegetation to the saltiness of coastal waters.”
https://scitechdaily.com/greenlands-melting-ice-is-supercharging-life-in-the-sea/
“Britain is on track for its sunniest and hottest year EVER, scientists reveal.
“Almost 1,200 hours of sunshine had been recorded by July this year, according to the Met Office… So far, there have been 79 days where temperatures have exceeded 20°C – the most ever recorded for this stage of the year.”
“EXCEPTIONALLY WARM NIGHT IN GERMANY:
“25 stations recorded their warmest August night in history,9 of which all time record, me have more than >100 years of data. Minimums up to 24.1C [75.4F].”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1956350713803460768
“We are living science fiction weather, losing 20th century flourishing climate for deadly and uncharted heights…
“21.2°C [70.2F] as minimum (1671 m asl)! New min. temp. record on top of Jura Mountains [Franco-Swiss border] on 13th Aug. 2025! Record of Aug. 2003 broken by almost 1°C!” [Melaine Le Roy].
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1955995448893657260
“The late afternoon of August 15th brought a sudden change in the weather in Valtellina [Italian Alps], where a violent hailstorm interrupted days of oppressive heat that had also hit the mountainous areas of the province of Sondrio.
“In Livigno, the violent storm caused two significant landslides. Mud mixed with water invaded both the road leading to the Gallo Tunnel, a link with Switzerland, and the road to the Federia Valle.”
https://www.ilgiorno.it/sondrio/cronaca/grandinata-valtellina-ferragosto-js1ilr6e?live
“French forest are just… dying this absurd summer!
“Endless and recurrent heatwaves over last decade will defeat these species… … and there are still people who will BS you that you can ADAPT to this (or even to +4°C).” [Melaine Le Roy]
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1956451229544132978
“‘Uncontrollable’ wildfires kill mayor in Portugal…
“Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portugal’s president, offered his “heartfelt condolences”… The government in Lisbon made a formal request for assistance from the EU’s civil protection mechanism, a firefighting force that can be called upon by countries in need.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/15/uncontrollable-wildfire-kills-mayor-portugal/
“‘Unlike any other kind of fear’: wildfires leave their mark across Spain…
“Near-disaster in Paüls is latest incident to show Spain’s vulnerability to the effects of the climate emergency“… Since 2017, we’ve seen this change towards more extreme fires …it’s happening because climate change is bringing higher temperatures for much longer periods.””
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/16/pauls-spain-wildfires-climate-change
“Serbia: Endemic spruce at risk of extinction due to heat.
“As temperatures around the world rise, the rare Pancic spruce, a species of coniferous tree, is at risk of extinction… Scientists are trying to save the tree, which is considered a national treasure in both countries, using genetics, dedicated nurseries and even, potentially, planting in Scandinavia.”
“Invasive species thrive as Mediterranean Sea temperature hits record high.
“Rising sea temperatures are fuelling the rapid “tropicalisation” of the Mediterranean, with venomous Red Sea species like lionfish disrupting ecosystems from Turkey to Malta, scientists warn.”
“Türkiye’s reservoirs drop to 42% as major cities face critical water shortages…
“Ankara’s capacity plunged from 32.8% to 9.3%, leaving an estimated three months of supply. In Izmir, levels dropped from 13.2% to 4.1%, equivalent to roughly two months of drinking water.”
“Water shortages plague Beirut after record-low rainfall.
“People are buying water by the truckload in Beirut as the state supply faces its worst shortages in years, with the leaky public sector struggling after record-low rainfall and local wells running dry.”
“Firefighters struggling to battle flames raging through northwest Syria…
“The flames in the northeast Latakia governorate have spread across rugged mountain areas, including forests of the Broma area in Jabal al-Akrad, which forms the northernmost point of the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range.”
https://www.newarab.com/news/firefighters-struggling-battle-inferno-northwest-syria
“IT’S A REAL HELL IN MIDDLE EAST:
“50.3 [122.5F] Ro’i Agro Station (Akol net) AUGUST HOTTEST DAY IN ISRAEL HISTORY. And it’s not over yet: today in EGYPT will be mental with half of the country (East and South) destroying records in pieces.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1956289312238055922
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN EGYPT. Records all over the country:
“48.0 [118.4F] Luxor monthly record, 46.7 Shalatin monthly record, 46.0 Sharm el Sheikh all time record tied, MINIMUMS: 34.0 Hurghada all time record, 33.8 Aswan monthly record… Also 45.4 Shawafi JORDAN monthly record.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1956083406300700696
“‘Like hell’: Indoor heat overwhelms Saudi Arabia’s cooks, bakers.
“…workers like Ahmed, have no choice but to toil near manmade sources of heat even at midday — the hottest time of the day, which also coincides with busy lunch breaks. “Here by the fire, I suffer on both sides,” he said, caught between the oven and the bakery’s door, which does not shut properly and allows in hot air from outside.”
“Extreme heat as pilgrims commemorate Arbaeen – the world’s largest annual peaceful gathering [Iraq].
“This year, temperatures have reached extreme heights topping 50C [122F], with pilgrims being cooled down with sprayed water during their walk to Karbala before visiting the holy shrines.”
“Another incredible minimum of 32.8C [91F] at Bunj PAKISTAN above 1400m asl.
“WORLD RECORD hottest night in August at that elevation, 2nd only to the record set last month at the same place.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1955994834348486765
“The planet experienced a record number of dangerously hot, humid days in 2024 as climate change increases global humidity to unprecedented levels.
“The global average number of high humid heat days over land exceeded the 1991-2020 average by 35.6 days last year, 9.5 days more than the previous record set in 2023…”
“Why our broken food system remains a climate disaster: ‘broiling the planet to stuff our faces’…
““We’re clear-cutting and broiling the planet to stuff our faces,” Grunwald writes, adding that “feeding the world without frying it” will be an even bigger task than ending the age of oil. “This carbohydrate problem will be even trickier to solve than the hydrocarbon problem,” he states.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/14/we-are-eating-the-earth-book-climate
“Plastic pollution talks fail as negotiators in Geneva reject draft treaties.
“Several countries expressed bitter disappointment, sadness and anger that the Geneva talks had, after the sixth and final round of negotiations, failed to reach a deal… Some NGOs called the failed talks a “blow to multilateralism”, and there was reflection among some delegates on how best to move forward…”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/15/plastic-pollution-talks-geneva-treaty
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread.
Hello Pan… ah yes, those negotiators in Geneva and the ever-growing mountains of plastic.
They are angry and disappointed… nothing achieved once again. But in fact they don’t even understand what they’ve been talking about, buried in spreadsheets, draft proposals, and patient AI calculations that are capable of turning even sheer madness into “policy options.”
Plastic is not just a “waste problem” or a “regulatory problem.” It is a thermodynamic problem.
The second law tells us very simply: in any closed system, entropy always increases. Everything will eventually break down into smaller, less orderly components. Plastic is the perfect entropic accelerator: cheap to make (we use fossil energy to force order onto hydrocarbons), but almost impossible to bring back into usable order.
So what happens?
– Production: fossil energy is used to line up neat chains of polymers.
– Use: single-use convenience — a bottle, a bag, a wrapper.
– Waste: the product breaks down into micro- and nanoplastics. Recovering it costs more energy than it ever gave us.
Recycling, in this light, is a local illusion: yes, a fraction can be fed back mechanically or chemically, but always with losses, higher costs, and a residue that disperses further. The global plastic mountain therefore grows inexorably.
And that brings us back to Geneva: diplomats expressing “sadness and anger” at the failure of a treaty. But Geneva didn’t fail — what failed was the attempt to negotiate with physics itself. Plastic is simply the material form of the second law: order unraveling into chaos.
In bar language: plastic is the match you stick in the sand. You can strike it once and it will burn, but you’ll never make it stand up whole again.
Thank you, Zip. That is beautifully put.
Plastics are an inevitable by-product of the global economic superorganism’s metabolism, but unlike biological metabolic waste products, these stick around. Like yeast in overshoot, we risk death by poisoning in a medium of our own waste.
Many thanks to your anonymous August sponsor. Where else can we get such a concise yet broad overview? And killer comments! 🤪
I will of course keep up my Patreon support.
Thanks, Cassandra. You’re an angel, as is anyone kind enough to sling some cash my way. 😇
I’m actually waiting to hear if my sponsor wishes to be anonymous. He does have a book to recommend, so I’ll be linking to that on Monday.
Of course, there’s always the anti-catastrophist side, exemplified in the US by Nordberg, Jr., I mean Ted:
https://www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/why-i-stopped-being-a-climate-catastrophist?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Houston, do we not have a problem?
“Break on through to other side “ The Doors.
Yeah, right.
There’s some very dubious extrapolating going on in that article, Martin.
I wonder if Ted’s is a strategic retreat, taken for commercial reasons. The Breakthrough Institute is a not-for-profit think tank that relies heavily on philanthropic organizations for funding.
I can’t imagine the likes of The Pritzker Innovation Fund (Mission: “Supporting the development and advancement of paradigm-shifting ideas to solve the world’s most wicked problems.”) pumping cash into a charity that is candid about how effed we are.
“The second law tells us very simply: in any closed system, entropy always increases.” – zip
Rhymes with NTHE?
There are info signs pointed to this rock in space, for the Universe’s tourists: Warning! Extremely Dangerous! Stupid Species Living Here. Species Suicide Occurring Now.
NHTBLT.
Perhaps death by misadventure, rather than suicide, TR.
“misadventure”, unfiltered definition – fubared clusterfuck.
“The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it”- George Orwell
I’m not concerned, they can shove their hate. As the commercial says: “I’ve got tens & tens of likes.” 😉
Why insurers worry the world could soon become uninsurable
Sam Meredith USToday
KEY POINTS
Some fear the world is fast approaching temperature levels where professional risk managers will no longer be able to offer cover for financial services.
Günther Thallinger, a board member at Allianz, one of the world’s biggest insurers, says the climate crisis could make adaptation economically unviable.
Zurich Insurance Group, meanwhile, said alongside a recent research paper assessing climate resilience that the outlook looks “alarmingly bleak.”
Top insurers fear the climate crisis could soon outpace industry solutions, effectively threatening to make entire regions around the world uninsurable.
Günther Thallinger, a board member at Allianz, one of the world’s biggest insurers, recently outlined how the world is fast approaching temperature levels where insurers will no longer be able to offer cover for financial services, such as mortgages and investments.
Thallinger, who is responsible for investment management and sustainability at Allianz, told CNBC that approximately two-thirds of economic losses from natural catastrophes are currently uninsured, indicating a “major societal problem.”
If this volume just grows even more, we simply have a societal situation that is not bearable anymore because it is just too much risk that is no longer covered,” Thallinger told CNBC by video call.
If we continue, however, with the policies that we have out there, we are clearly on a pathway now of 2.7 degrees or 3 degrees where adaptation is simply not doable anymore. This is just what it is. We cannot protect Amsterdam from sea level rise of three meters. This is just not doable,” Thallinger said.
Clearly, we are looking in the rear view mirror
This could be about politics, it’s not, it’s about stupid. All the masked ICE agents think they are incognito. Hey dumb asses, you receive income so there is a record of who you are & those opposed to your actions, who know this info, might leak some names. Wonder what hackers could expose, I’m waiting for long lists to be published on the web.That would be fun to see the reaction of those unmasked.
“Stupid is as stupid does.”